faq

Frequently Asked Questions

We have compiled a list of common questions and answers below. If you cannot find the answer to your name change query then you are very welcome to call our office for free and confidential advice on: 020 3318 0245 (Monday - Friday 10am - 4pm).

You can quickly and easily change your name (or your child's name) by Deed Poll:

Step 1- Apply:

Please go to the Apply Now page and click either the Adult Application Form or Child Application Form link.

Enter the required information and select how many legal copies you require.

Make a secure payment by credit/debit card online, call us with your card details or send a cheque in the post.

Step 2- Execute:

Once prepared by ourselves, your Deed Poll will be sent by First Class post. When it arrives, it must be signed by you in the presence of a witness (this is known as 'executing' your Deed Poll). A child Deed Poll must be signed by someone who has parental responsibility for the child concerned i.e. the mother or father.

Step 3- Notify:

Send notification of your new name to any company, organisation or Government Department that currently hold your old name on their records. This means they simply need to see your signed (executed) Deed Poll, and upon doing so they will update their records.

It's very straightforward and we provide comprehensive instructions with your Deed Poll plus free and confidential advice via live chat, telephone and email.

We recommend that you order extra legal copies because doing so will be speed up the process of notification because you will be able to contact multiple companies/organisations at the same time.

Yes, providing you have permission from all persons with parental responsibility for the said child, i.e. the mother and or father. If both parents have parental responsibility for the child, but permission cannot be obtained from one of them i.e. because they refuse to consent, or because their whereabouts are unknown, then you have several options open to you; including obtaining a court order to allow the name change to proceed.

In the UK, the mother acquires parental responsibility at the child's birth, the law relating to the father's rights vary throughout the UK, please see below:

England and Wales:

The father has parental responsibility if he was married to the mother at the time of the child's birth, or subsequently marries her afterwards. An un-married father will not have parental responsibility unless he is named on the birth certificate from 1st December 2003 onwards.

Northern Ireland:

The father has parental responsibility if he was married to the mother at the time of the child's birth, but not if he subsequently marries her afterwards. An un-married father will not have parental responsibility unless he is named on the birth certificate from 15th April 2002 onwards.

Scotland:

The father has parental responsibility if he was married to the mother at the time of the child's birth, or subsequently marries her afterwards. An un-married father will not have parental responsibility unless he is named on the birth certificate from 4th May 2006 onwards.

If you are still unsure then please click here to view our helpful 'parental responsibility flowcharts', or call us on 0203 318 0245.

You need to sign your Deed Poll, once for your old name, and once for your new name. You need to date your Deed Poll on the last paragraph, and have your signature witnessed by a person over the age of 18. (This is known as 'executing' your Deed Poll).

A child Deed Poll must be signed by either the mother or father.

The witness must be over 18 and should not be related to the person named on the Deed Poll or live at the same address. Please note the witness DOES NOT need to be a professional i.e. a solicitor or doctor. Typically, clients use a friend, neighbour or work colleague as their witness.

Yes, absolutely, as one of the longest standing and largest issuers of deed poll documentation in the UK, we guarantee that it will be universally accepted by all UK Government Departments, companies and organisations, including HM Passport Office, DVLA, HMRC etc. So you will be able to change your official documents like your passport and driving licence, as well as amend your National Insurance record, bank account and other records.

No, you will not need to visit a solicitor. But your witness must be over 18 and should not be related to you or live at the same address. A typical client would ask a friend, neighbour or work colleague to be his witness.

A.) If your Deed Poll was supplied by us then all we need is the nine digit document serial number, which is printed on the bottom of your Deed Poll. Extra duplicate originals (legal copies) can be ordered via our Client Support System.

B.) If your Deed Poll was supplied by another company or a local solicitor, and you're unable to obtain a copy from them, then you will need to apply for a replacement Deed Poll.

Your paperwork will be sent using First Class post in a plain envelope (same day processing for applications received before 4pm weekdays). Due to increased demand, our current turnaround time is approximately seven working days. Postage and packaging is included in the prices displayed on this website.

Ordering legal copies will allow you to notify multiple companies/organisations at the same time. It also means that you will have spares in case one should become lost or damaged. We recommend that you keep one with a trusted friend or relative as a backup. Please note that are legal copies are high quality duplicate originals and not photocopies. You will need to sign, witness and date each one that you order.

If you have not found the answer to your question in this section then please see our comprehensive Knowledge Base or do not hesitate to contact us on 0203 318 0245. You can also speak to us via live chat and email during office hours.

You will receive: your stamped legal UK Deed Poll paperwork, professionally presented and printed on our official certificate stock (plus any extra legal copies ordered). You will also receive printed, easy to follow instructions for how to sign your Deed Poll paperwork, a list of 'common places to notify', guides to informing Government Departments and other organisations that you have changed your name, and a covering letter template.

We also securely store your record on file to make it easy for you to obtain further legal copies of your Deed Poll paperwork in the future.

You have the legal right to call yourself by a different name without following a particular process, providing it is not for fraudulent or deceptive purposes. However, if you want to change your name on important documents such as your passport and driving licence, as well as things like bank accounts and your NI record, then you will need legal evidence of your new name in the form of Deed Poll. Without a Deed Poll you will not be able to change these records (see notes below).

N.B. If you've recently entered into a marriage or civil partnership, and just wish to adopt your partner's surname, then you will not need a Deed Poll because you can use your marriage/civil partnership certificate as legal evidence of your new surname.

Our official security paper is impossible to replicate using normal office equipment because it includes a number of sophisticated anti-forgery features, including UV ink, secure hologram, embedded red seal and a visible watermark, amongst others. Please see our Services & Fees page for more information.

Yes, your Deed Poll, and any legal copies ordered, will feature our embedded red seal, which is just one of the many anti-forgery features incorporated into our official security paper. Please see our Services & Fees page for more information.

If you want high quality legal Deed Poll paperwork that is guaranteed to be accepted everywhere in the UK, backed with friendly, professional service and excellent value-for-money, then we're here to help.

No, there isn't an official website. All specialist Deed Poll websites are operated by privately owned companies (including this one). This is because changing your name by Deed Poll is a legal undertaking, like making a Last Will & Testament, for instance. So you can go through a reputable online specialist like us or most high street law firms. Private sector competition is the reason for the variation in price between each website.

Unfortunately, this isn't always made entirely clear by some of our competitors (large and small) but we prefer to just be upfront and honest about exactly who we are, where we are based and what we provide. We trust that you will value our approach.

Don't forget, we're Trading Standards Approved so you can be assured that we operate in a legal, honest and fair way. In fact, we are currently the only provider of legal Deed Poll paperwork on Google to have this approval.

The total cost for an adult or child Deed Poll is just £15 including VAT & First Class Postage. All documents that are applied for online are sent by First Class post. Additional duplicate originals (legal copies) cost £3.50 per copy inc. VAT.

You can also apply by phone, post or visit our office in person, by appointment, please call for further details.

The term 'Deed Poll' (sometimes mispronounced as 'depoll' or 'dpoll'), is simply the common name used to describe a deed of change of name, the standard legal document used to substantiate a change of name in the UK.

A form of contract, Deed Polls are widely used in the UK to provide legal evidence of a change in name for an adult or a child, and have been used in this way by hundreds of thousands of people over the past 150 years. But you may be interested to learn that Deed Polls aren't only for name change and, in fact, they are actually used everyday in a wide range of different legal matters. A Deed Poll for name change commits the person it concerns to:

abandon the use of their old name

use their new name at all times

require all persons to call them by their new name.

Deed polls are accepted by all UK Government Departments, companies and organisations, so you can change your name on your driving licence, passport, bank account etc.

Please note: 'Deed Poll' is not an automated service, a government organisation or a certificate.

No, you will need to manually apply for a new passport by filling in a passport application form (available online or through most Post Office branches). You will need to send your signed Deed Poll to HM Passport Office to support your passport application. The same applies to your driving licence.

No, you will need to manually apply for a new passport by filling in a passport application form (available online or through most Post Office branches). You will need to send your signed Deed Poll to HM Passport Office to support your passport application. The same applies to your driving licence.

Are impossible to pronounce

Contain symbols or numbers

Contain punctuation, other than hyphens and apostrophes

May lead people to believe you have a title i.e. Lord, Lady, Doctor etc

Contain offensive and or racist content

N.B. we impose these restrictions because they are inline with HM Passport Office policy re: names they will permit on a British Passport. Additionally, HM Passport Office will not accept a name which they deem to be frivolous or where they believe the name is not going to be used for all purposes, please bear this in mind when choosing your new name.

No, different providers/solicitors maintain their own private records. We offer permanent digital archival for £3.50. However, you can choose to have your Deed Poll stored at the National Archives (enrolled). A process that includes the publication of a notice announcing your change of name in the London Gazette. This process is entirely voluntary and very few people choose this option due to the extra costs/steps involved, but if you would like to do so then please contact us and we will help you make the necessary arrangements.

You cannot change the name on your GCSE, A Level, degree or other educational certificates. This is not an issue because your Deed Poll will state your former name, i.e. the name on your educational certificates, as well as your new name.

No, your credit score will not be affected. Your bank will duly inform the credit reference agencies of the change, and you will generally be given the opportunity to state your previous name on any future credit applications.

Your old passport will remain valid until you apply for a new one or it expires, but we do not recommend that you travel with other documents (particularly those pertaining to your ID i.e. a driving licence) under your new name. Therefore, our advice is to update your passport before you travel.

A Statutory Declaration is a very similar document to a Deed Poll, save for a degree of variance in its execution formalities. We would always recommend that you opt for a Deed Poll over a Statutory Declaration, unless you have a specific need for the latter.